ABUJA: Preparations for the World Customs Organization (WCO), scheduled to hold later this week in Abuja, are at an advanced stage.
The conference of Directors-General of Customs in West and Central Africa is slated for Wednesday until Friday.
The Nigeria Customs Service is organising the event following the mandate it received at the last edition hosted by Cameroon.
It brings together 23 Customs Administrations in the West and Central Africa to discuss issues of collective interest to the region.
The Abuja conference will focus on the theme, “Coordinated Border Management; An Inclusive Approach for Connecting Stakeholders.”
Heads of Customs Administrations in the 23 member states, the Secretary-General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, representatives from African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), donor agencies, other international organizations and partner government agencies in Nigeria are scheduled to attend.
Meanwhile, Wale Adeniyi, Public Relations Officer of the Comptroller-General of Customs, said following the peaceful conclusion of the 2015 general elections, there had been remarkable enthusiasm among customs administrations to attend the Abuja conference.
To make the event memorable, he said, the Nigeria Customs Service was partnering with the National Troupe of Nigeria to stage a special command performance in honour of the conference delegates.
“Titled “Nigeriana”, the performance is a dance drama showcasing different cultural themes in Nigeria, aimed at demonstrating the unquenchable spirit of Nigerian Unity,” Adeniyi said.
